CHICAGO, Ill. -- Team sports are all about picking up those who fight for the same cause. With the Indians' rotation floundering, the offense and bullpen picked up the slack in Saturday's 12-6 win. Here are five observations from the Windy City.

1. Runs, Forest, runs: The Indians' offense will suffer through droughts. Those dry spells will be noticeable, too. A distinguished power hitter in the middle of the order can help to prevent extended slumps via one swift swing of the bat. The Indians lack that luxury.

What they do have, however, is a balanced lineup that should be more productive than the one that finished fourth in the American League in runs last season.

No Tribe hitter batted .300. No hitter clubbed 25 home runs. No hitter tallied 85 RBIs. Still, the lineup had enough depth and variety to function at a more-than-serviceable rate.

"We know what type of talent we have in this lineup," Murphy said. "When we're on our game, we're using every one of our 27 outs."

Power is a bonus. When the Indians socked three or more home runs in a game last season, they went 15-0. Murphy, Nick Swisher and Jason Kipnis all went deep on Saturday.

2. Batter up: The Indians needed the offensive outburst on Saturday, too. For the third consecutive game, a Cleveland starting pitcher failed to last five innings, as Justin Masterson exited after 4 2/3 frames.

The Indians are averaging 4.83 runs per game. Last year, they scored 4.59 runs per contest. Of course, last season, they allowed only 4.09 runs per game. This year, that mark stands at 4.92 through 12 affairs.

Cleveland went 20-0 in 2013 when plating more than eight runs. Relying on that type of offensive production is a dangerous way to live, though. On Saturday afternoon, at least, the bats bailed out another dismal start on the mound.

3. Starter struggles: Masterson contended that he felt great atop the hill, despite allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and five walks. Manager Terry Francona surmised that the righty never truly settled in, as Chicago's first five hitters all reached base against him in the first inning.

Masterson attributed his results to "not catching any breaks," "broken bats here and there" and "ground balls that just got by guys." Five walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter didn't help matters, either.

He did, however, offer an honest evaluation of the rotation as a whole. Indians hurlers have logged only four quality starts (at least six innings with three or fewer runs allowed) in 12 outings.

"We just haven’t been able to get deep into the ballgame," Masterson said. "I think we’ve all had glimpses of great things and then we’ve kind of gotten unraveled ever so slightly as we’ve gone along.

"There’s no one to blame but ourselves because then we continue to hurt ourselves and get in trouble. But I think after getting a couple starts under our belts, getting our feet wet, I think you’re going to continue to see better things. As the weather heats up, I think we’re going to heat up, too."

4. Plenty of 'pen: The lackluster efforts from the starters during this series have placed extra pressure on the bullpen. Tribe relievers struggled on Friday, but reversed the script on Saturday. Josh Outman fanned Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn in the sixth to neutralize a Chicago threat. The previous night, Marc Rzepczynski issued a pair of devastating walks in a similar situation.

The Indians could benefit from a few seven- or eight-inning starts. Outman, Rzepczynski, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw and John Axford have all appeared in half of the Indians' 12 contests. Scott Atchison and Blake Wood have each toed the rubber five times.

On Saturday, the 'pen tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Outman, Shaw, Allen and Axford combined to limit the White Sox to one hit and one walk while recording six punchouts.

"I was just hoping, ‘Hey, keep it close, 5-5, 6-5, 6-6,’" Masterson said. "We keep it there, guys get a lead, bullpen’s going to come in and shut the door just like they’ve been doing. They’ve been working hard and do an incredible job of it, so hopefully here soon we can give a little bit of a breather and they can continue their strong suit."

5. Rest up: It was a bit strange to hear Carlos Carrasco say he felt tired during the last two innings of his start on Friday. If anything, the Indians are tired of watching him underperform.

Following Friday's outing, Carrasco said he couldn't keep from dropping his shoulder during his delivery because he was battling fatigue. He left in the fifth after his 86th offering. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway said he couldn't imagine how Carrasco would be tired, given that the right-hander is in good condition and had been stretched out in spring training.

"That’s a little bit of an enigma," Francona said. "He’s in great shape, he’s a big, strong kid. Between maybe fighting mechanics, maybe the stress of a game can tire you out. All those things together, it’s a constant fight to find where you can excel. That’s part of the game."

Carrasco did say Saturday morning that he was disappointed in himself for not seizing the opportunity the Indians have granted him. He could be on borrowed time if he doesn't rectify whatever is ailing him.

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